Hot Giulietta targets Golf GTI

Fiat is planning a major overhaul of its range and adding new models over the next three years - and they include a hot Alfa Giulietta and a heavily revised 500 for the US this year.

The US-market 500 will get a heavily modified platform, although the car’s bodyshell will stay the same. The US 500 will be built in Mexico, and its revised chassis has been designed to cut weight and improve the car’s dynamics.

To this end, the car will incorporate improvements recently introduced on the 500C. Fiat also said that the changes would improve refinement by reducing noise, vibration and harshness.

However, the European 500 won’t get the changes. Instead, Fiat will introduce the new platform with the next Panda early next year and on the next Lancia Ypsilon, due this year.

Fiat will then embark on a major upgrade of the B-platform, which is used by the Fiat Punto and Alfa Mito. Although recently facelifted, the Punto is in line for a more in-depth makeover. This could involve changing the rear suspension from the current torsion beam set-up to a more sophisticated multi-link arrangement. Fiat sources also suggest that the upgraded chassis will be engineered to take a hybrid drivetrain.

There will be a performance version of the new Giulietta, too. It’s unclear if the car will be badged as a GTA or a Cloverleaf, but it will be front-wheel drive and use the new 1750 TBi turbocharged petrol engine with Multiair. The car was previewed by a Giulietta at the Geneva show with this engine and Cloverleaf cosmetic upgrades and it will be good for 235bhp.

The range-topping Giulietta will use a development of Alfa’s Q2 electronic differential. It will also come with active dampers and Fiat’s new dual-clutch gearbox, which is due to be launched in April.

A Mito GTA looks unlikely, though. Development of the model was stopped last year when Fiat changed its priorities during the economic downturn and it may not be restarted, mainly because of the presence of the 168bhp Cloverleaf model.

235bhp ain't enough. Not when the 147 GTA had a 250bhp 3.2 litre V6, or a 328bhp 3.7 litre in the Autodelta version, or the 370bhp one TG tested, or even a 400bhp supercharged version. 400bhp in a FWD car! And four cylinders ain't enough either. And an iron-block GM-sourced engine ain't good enough either. Come on, Alfa, stick in a proper mag-block V6!

[quote Rover P6 3500S]235bhp ain't enough. Not when the 147 GTA had a 250bhp 3.2 litre V6, or a 328bhp 3.7 litre in the Autodelta version, or the 370bhp one TG tested, or even a 400bhp supercharged version. 400bhp in a FWD car! And four cylinders ain't enough either. And an iron-block GM-sourced engine ain't good enough either. Come on, Alfa, stick in a proper mag-block V6![/quote]

235 is enough, and where would they get the money from to develop a new V6?

The world has moved on, a big V6 will never sell in big enough numbers to make it viable, with the emmission enforcement in place and fuel prices it'll be too expensive to run and make a profit.

With a V6 lump at the front Autocar would say it understeers too much!

Alfa have to make money with every car they sell, its a business, I'm just pleased they are still investing.

This Cloverleaf looks great and the engine has had good reviews in the 159.

No, the 1750 TBi will never match the old Busso V6 - I won't even mention the GM derived one. But it does seem a versatile and thoroughly modern engine. A bit surprised they have been able to stick MultiAir on it so soon, makes you wonder why they bothered releasing it without as it seems a have your cake and eat it bit of tech.

P6, as far as I know the TBi owes nowt to anything GM, it's all new FPT developed.

What a badly written article! The level of information available to the writer seems pretty much non-existing. The 235hp version is, of course, the Cloverleaf. No GTA is on sights for the time being. If it happens, there are 2 options for the engine: a tweaked 1.75 (possibly with twin turbo, up to 300hp), or the new 3.0 V6 that is under development. The original FIAT plans involved a 2.6 V6, but since they got involved with Chrysler they ditched that in favour of maximum 'modularity' and economies of scale. The need for common parts with the Pentastar engine meant that capacity had to grow to 3 litres, which is not necessarily a bad thing (but may be an issue in the era of generalised downsizing). The new V6 is rumoured to be available in single as well as twin turbo versions, the second one most probably destined for Maserati and (hopefully) the successor of the 166. Expect something in the vicinity of 360hp for single turbo. 4wd availability on the GTA will depend on the extent of the use of the new platform used now by Giulietta (economies of scale again, they will not develop a system that will end up to a niche model).